Equalizing wedge adjuster



Patented Mar. 9, 1926.

UNITED- .STATES 1,575,639 PATENT oFF-fies..

THOMAS. M. PRICE, or RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA EQUALIZI'N G WE'DGEADJUSTER.

Application 'fi-led July 30, 1925. -Serial I'o.V 473020;

To ,/Z'Zfw /iom z't'mizy, concern A Be it known that I, THOMAS M. PRICE,av citizen of the United States, residingl at Raleigh, in the county otWake and State oit North Carolina, have invented certain new and: usefulImprovements in Equalizing Wedge Adjusters, of. which the following is afull, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to wedgesr ot the wear compensating type such asare in coinmon use in the driving boxes of locomotives and the like, andhasr speciali reference to by providing a screw bolt for adjusting thebox to proper position, but this adjustment can only be made while theengine is at a standstill and it frequently occurs that the wedge willwork loose during a long run and cause a. pounding of the parts beforesuch an adjustment can bemade. Devices have therefore been provided inwhich a .ng has been employed for forcing the ge tightly into positionbetween the driving box and pedestal at all times, With such aconstruction however the wedge bei-- comes jammed in place so as toprevent the necessary vertical play between the driving box and theengine pedestal.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to overcome theforegoing diiilculties in adjustment of these wedges by providing aioating support for the wedges whereby the latter is held in properposition with relation to the driving boX and pedestal and yet lwill notbecome jammed in place nor work loose so as to cause a pounding of theparts.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision of such a.mounting for the wedge which may be adjusted from time to time asdesired so as to bring the wedge into proper position with respect toits cooperating parts.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing description when takeninv connection with the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

Figurev 1f is aA fragmentary view of an engine. pedestal. and drivingIbox. and. showing the equalizing wedge adjuster in position thereon;vand Figure 2; is an enlarged sectional view of the eqiualizing adjustertaken on line 2-2 of: Figure l'.

Referring to the drawings more in detail the numeral 1f indicatestheusual engine pedestal provided with. the pedestalA binder 2 and inAwhich is mounted for vertical play the driving bcn 3;

In the usual construction. ot these boxesk it isf usual to lprovide asuitable wedge 4 by means of which lateral movement et the driving boxwith respect tothe engine pedestal is prevented, thereby` eliminatingpounding of these parts during the operation of: the' locomotive. Ashereinbeiiore stated it is an obj-ect ofthe present invention. toprovide a. mounting for this wedge t so as to; held the same at all?times in proper position with respect to the driving boX and yet preventthe same from jamming between the driving boX and` engine pedestal so asto prevent the natural movement between these parts. To this end thewedge 4 is mounted as indicated by numeral 6 upon the verticallye-Xtendinoi rod 7 which extends through and is slidabfy mounted in thepedestal binder 2. Secured to the lower edge of the binder 2 is acylindrical casing 8 through which the rod 7 also extends.

Formed upon the rod 7 is a collar or a button 9 which is so located withrespect ta the ends ot the rod 7 as to be positioned within the casing8. This collar 9 is provided for vthe purpose of cooperation with a pairof coil springs 10 and 11 which are disposed within the casing 8 andupon opposite sides of the collar 9. Spring cups. 12 and 13 are alsomounted within the casing 8, spring cup 12 being interposed between thepedestal binder 2 and the upper end ot spring 10 while the lower end ofthe coil spring 1() is in engagement with the upper surface of thecollar 9. The spring cup 13 is screw threaded as indicated by numeral 14for threaded engagement with the aperture in the bottom of the casing 8and this cup receives the lower end of the coil spring 11 whose otherend is in engagement with the bottom surface of the collar 9. A. jam nut15 is provided for locking the spring cup From the foregoing description'taken in connection with the accompanying drawings it will be observedthat by means'of the opposed springs 10 and 11 which cooperate with theinterposed collar-9 that the wedge l is resilic'n'tly supported in asubstantially ...floating position between the driving box and enginepedestal and thus maintained in proper cooperative relation with theseparts without danger of jamming when in use. It

will,` also "be, apparent that lif adjustment ofthe wedge is necessarydue to-wear upon ther driving boX the same may he accomplished Y.

by merely loosening the jam nut 15 "and rotating the spring cupy 13 thedesired amount, and again moving the jam nut 15 to locking position. v

In accordance with the patent statutes I have described what I nowbelieve to be the bestembodiment of the invention, but I do not wish tobe understood thereby as limit- -ing myself or the scope of theinvention, as

many changes and modifications may be made without departing from thespirit of the. invention; all such I aim to include in the scope of theappended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure byv4 Letters Patent is :v

1. Asupport fordriving box wedges includinga slidably-niounted rod onwhich said wedge is secured, an abutment on said rod, and a pair ofopposed' spring devices associated withsaid rod and abutment.

'2. A support for driving b'oX wedges in cluding a slidably-mounted rodon which said wedge is secured, an abutment on said rod, a pair ofopposed spring devices associated with said rod and abutment, and

means for longitudinally adjusting the position of said rod and wedge.

3. A support for driving box wedges including a slidably-mounted rod, acollar on said rod, and a pair of coil springs engaging opposite-sidesof said collar.

"4'. In a device ,of tli'echaracter described, the combination with theVdriving'box and engine pedestal, of a vertically disposed wedge betweenthe box and, pedestal, a slidf ably-mounted rod on which said wedge` issecured, a collary on said rod', a pair of coil springs disposed' onopposite sides of said collar and cooperating therewith, and a threadedspring cup for varying the tension on said springs and the position ofsaid rod and wedge.

y T. M. PRICE.

